Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life. Constantly running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself, but never has the passion to act upon it. One day, in the midst of yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to the Kamogawa boxing gym to recover. As he regains consciousness, he is awed and amazed at his new surroundings in the gym, though lacks confidence to attempt anything. Takamura places a photo of Ippo's classmate on a punching bag and forces him to punch it. It is only then that Ippo feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing. Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible and gives him a one week time limit. With a sudden desire to get stronger, for himself and his hard working mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit. Thus Ippo's journey to the top of the boxing world begins.
Fighting Spirit has finished airing and it has 75 Episodes. It is also Known as: はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING!, The First Step, Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting
Genres: Boxing , Earth , Combat , Martial Arts , Slapstick , Sports , Action , Japan , Comedy , Asia , Plot Continuity , Present , Shounen
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Top 10 Anime Like Fighting Spirit (Hajime no Ippo) [2024 List]
10. Initial D First Stage
Takumi Fujiwara is an aloof, spacey high-schooler who does delivery runs in his dad's Toyota AE86 in the dead of night. Despite working at a gas station and having friends who are car nuts, he doesn't know a single thing about cars.
Takumi is introduced into the world of street racing and his natural talent draws attention from all across Gunma. Will Takumi face the challenges or back out from the call of the mountain passes?
Initial D First Stage has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 頭文字〈イニシャル〉D, ID
9. Kuroko no Basket
Teikou Junior High School's basketball team is crowned champion three years in a row thanks to five outstanding players who, with their breathtaking and unique skills, leave opponents in despair and fans in admiration. However, after graduating, these teammates, known as "The Generation of Miracles," go their separate ways and now consider each other as rivals.
At Seirin High School, two newly recruited freshmen prove that they are not ordinary basketball players: Taiga Kagami, a promising player returning from the US, and Tetsuya Kuroko, a seemingly ordinary student whose lack of presence allows him to move around unnoticed. Although Kuroko is neither athletic nor able to score any points, he was a member of Teikou's basketball team, where he played as the "Phantom Sixth Man," who easily passed the ball and assisted his teammates.Kuroko no Basket follows the journey of Seirin's players as they attempt to become the best Japanese high school team by winning the Interhigh Championship. To reach their goal, they have to cross pathways with several powerful teams, some of which have one of the five players with godlike abilities, whom Kuroko and Taiga make a pact to defeat.
Kuroko's Basketball has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: 黒子のバスケ, Kuroko no Basuke, KuroBas
8. Yowamushi Pedal
Sakamichi Onoda is a cheerful otaku looking to join his new school's anime club, eager to finally make some friends. Unfortunately, the club has been disbanded and he takes it upon himself to revive it by finding students who are willing to join. Without much luck, Onoda decides to make a round trip to Akihabara on his old, bulky city bicycle, a weekly 90-kilometer ride he has been completing since fourth grade.
This is when he meets fellow first year student, Shunsuke Imaizumi, a determined cyclist who is using the school's steep incline for practice. Surprised by Onoda's ability to climb the hill with his specific type of bicycle, Imaizumi challenges him to a race, with the proposition of joining the anime club should Onoda win. And thus begins the young boy's first foray into the world of high school bicycle racing!
Yowamushi Pedal has finished airing and it has 38 Episodes. It is also Known as: 弱虫ペダル, Yowapeda
7. Ashita no Joe
Joe, a teenage orphan in the slums of the Doya streets, meets Danpei, a homeless, alcoholic ex-boxing coach. Danpei, seeing Joe's boxing talent, decides to train him. When Joe is sent to a terrible juvenile home for petty crimes, he meets Rikiishi who becomes his boxing rival. Danpei arrives at the home to help Joe to train in order to defeat Rikiishi. When Joe decides to seriously pursue boxing, Danpei cannot get a coaching license because of his reputation as a drunk.
Tomorrow's Joe has finished airing and it has 79 Episodes. It is also Known as: あしたのジョー, Rocky Joe, Champion Joe
6. Great Teacher Onizuka
Onizuka is a reformed biker gang leader who has his sights set on an honorable new ambition: to become the world's greatest teacher... for the purpose of meeting sexy high school girls. Okay, so he's mostly reformed.
However, strict administrators and a class of ruthless delinquents stand between Onizuka and his goal and they will use any means, however illegal or low, to drive the new teacher away. Perfect, because Onizuka's methods won't be found in any teaching manual; he cares about the difference between legal and illegal activities about as much as he cares for the age difference between himself and a high school girl.
So get ready for math that doesn't add up, language you'd be slapped for using, and biology that would make a grown man blush... unless of course, you're the Great Teacher Onizuka.
Great Teacher Onizuka has finished airing and it has 43 Episodes. It is also Known as: グレート・ティーチャー・オニヅカ, GTO
5. Ballroom e Youkoso
Fujita has drifted through middle school aimlessly, unable to find friends or anything that can hold his attention. Then, one day, he's attacked by a gang and saved by a mysterious man. But this isn't a karate master; it's a ballroom dance instructor! Reluctantly, Fujita takes a few beginner's classes, only to find his inspiration... an entrancing, teenage dance prodigy named Shizuku. It's Fujita's first step into the high-octane world of competitive dance!
Welcome to the Ballroom has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ボールルームへようこそ, Ballroom e Youkoso
4. Eyeshield 21
Sena is like any other shy kid starting high school; he's just trying to survive. Constantly bullied, he's accustomed to running away.
Surviving high school is about to become a lot more difficult after Hiruma, captain of the school's American football team, witnesses Sena's incredible agility and speed during an escape from some bullies. Hiruma schemes to make Sena the running back of his school team, The Devil Bats, hoping that it will turn around the squad's fortunes from being the laughingstock of Japan's high school leagues, to title contender.
To protect his precious star player from rivaling recruiters, he enlists Sena as "team secretary," giving him a visored helmet and the nickname "Eyeshield 21" to hide his identity.
The Devilbats will look to make their way to the Christmas Bowl, an annual tournament attended by the best football teams in Japan, with "Eyeshield 21" leading the way. Will they be able to win the Christmas Bowl? Will Sena be able to transform from a timid, undersized freshman to an all-star player? Put on your pads and helmet to find out!
Eyeshield 21 has finished airing and it has 145 Episodes. It is also Known as: アイシールド21, Eyeshield21
3. Baby Steps
Diligent and methodical honor student Eiichirou Maruo decides to exercise more during the little free time he has available because he is worried about his health. For this reason, after seeing a flyer, he joins the Southern Tennis Club at the beginning of his freshman year.
During his free trial at the club, he meets Natsu Takasaki, another first year student, who is determined on becoming a professional tennis player due to her love for the sport. In contrast, Eiichirou's study-oriented life exists because he believes that it is what he has to do, not because he enjoys it. However, his monotonous days come to an end as the more he plays tennis, the more he becomes fascinated by it.Baby Steps is the story of a boy who makes the most of his hard-working and perfectionist nature to develop his own unique playing style. Little by little, Eiichirou's skills begin to improve, and he hopes to stand on equal footing with tennis' best players.
Baby Steps has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: ベイビーステップ, Baby Steps
2. Megalo Box
An original story based on Takamori Asaki and Chiba Tetsuya's Ashita no Joe boxing manga.
A desolate land stretches out from the city of poverty. A motorcycle speeds recklessly, blowing clouds of sand and dust. The rider is the protagonist of this story – he has neither a name nor a past.
All he has is his ring name, Junk Dog and a technique for rigging MEGALOBOX matches with his pal Nanbu Gansaku, which they use to support their hand-to-mouth lives. Although he has the skill, he isn't dissatisfied enough to change his ways- but he's not satisfied with his life either. JD is bored, resigned, and unfulfilled. He lives with frustration in a life of shadows beneath the lights of fame.
Meanwhile, under the bright sun is Shirato Yukiko, the daughter of Shirato Konzern - the reigning family of the wealthy class. Yukiko decides to advance her career by using MEGALOBOX to organize a large fighting event, MEGALONIA: the tournament to determine the champion of MEGALOBOX. She creates a scenario: MEGALOBOXER Yuri, under her control, will win and become the champion to further promote the Shirato brand gear and expand business. Yuri has been the reigning champion of MEGALOBOX for the past few years. Driven by self-discipline and his strong will to practice, he has the skills and presence of a true champion. The man himself is a shining exemplar of virtuosity.
This is a story of JD and his rival, Yuri. An encounter between shadow and light; a fast-paced story begins when their paths cross.
MEGALOBOX has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: メガロボクス, Megalo Box
1. Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi
"Weak Legs" Kenichi Shirahama would rather spend his time reading self improvement books than fighting. However, when he finally works up the courage to become strong and join his school's karate club, he is coerced into fighting a bullying upperclassman who is intent on getting him kicked out of the club. He is about to give it all up until he falls for his mysterious new classmate, Miu Furinji. In order to face this challenge, he undergoes rigorous training at the dojo she lives at, Ryouzanpaku. Some initial training by the masters there allow him to defeat his upperclassman, however his fighting prowess brings him to the attention of the powerful gang of delinquents, Ragnarok. Wishing to protect the things he loves and determined to have the strength to face the increasing adversity, he must learn various martial arts from the dojo's resident masters, taking Karate, Muay Thai, Ju Jitsu and Chinese Martial Arts and combining them to create his own fighting style!
KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple has finished airing and it has 50 Episodes. It is also Known as: 史上最強の弟子 ケンイチ, History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi
